ELI5: quantum physics
// explanation
What is quantum physics?
Quantum physics is the study of how tiny things like atoms and light work [1][2]. It's like learning the secret rules of the tiniest building blocks that make up everything around you, from your toys to the stars [5].
Why is it so weird?
At the tiny quantum level, things don't behave like big objects do [3]. A particle can be in multiple places at once until you check where it is, kind of like a coin spinning in the air that's both heads AND tails at the same time [3].
What does it describe?
Quantum physics explains how particles like electrons move around atoms and how light travels [2]. It tells us why magnets stick, why things have color, and how electricity works [5].
Why should you care?
Understanding quantum physics helps us build computers, phones, and lasers [5]. Everything that makes modern technology work comes from quantum physics discoveries [1].
// sources
Quantum physics is the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level. It aims to uncover the properties and behaviors of the very building blocks of ...
Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and ...
Jul 29, 2011 ... The central idea of quantum mechanics is that a particle can exist in a state where it doesn't have a well defined value for properties like position, momentum ...
Jul 8, 2015 ... Properly speaking, the objects described by quantum physics are neither particles nor waves, but a third category that shares some properties of ...
It's the physics that explains how everything works: the best description we have of the nature of the particles that make up matter and the forces with which ...
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